IAB Expands Washington Presence With New Office

With multiple factions of the U.S. government dialing up the pressure for stricter privacy guidelines for digital marketing, the Interactive Advertising Bureau is expanding its Washington presence with the formation of an Office of General Counsel.

To coincide with the new office, the trade group has made several executive promotions and appointments in the lobbying realm. Mike Zaneis, the IAB’s vp of public policy, has been elevated to svp and general counsel. In addition, Patrick Dolan, formerly the IAB’s evp and chief administrative officer, has been named evp and COO; and David Doty, most recently svp for marketing and thought leadership, has been named to the new position of svp and chief marketing officer.

A few weeks ago, the IAB seemed relieved that a Republican takeover of the House of Representatives might mean that major privacy legislation would be put off. IAB president and CEO Randall Rothenberg said at the time: “Rightly or wrongly, a lot of members who went down [on Election Day] became associated not with growth, but with a fervor for the kinds of unnecessary regulations that impede it.”

Yet since then, Republican lawmakers have pledged to take up the privacy charge. And just a few weeks ago the Federal Trade Commission floated the idea of a "Do Not Track" list.

Clearly, the IAB will need to be a vocal presence in Washington for the foreseeable future. “Public policy has taken center stage as one of the most critical issues facing the digital marketing industry,” said Rothenberg.

With multiple factions of the U.S. government dialing up the pressure for stricter privacy guidelines for digital marketing, the Interactive Advertising Bureau is expanding its Washington presence with the formation of an Office of General Counsel.

To coincide with the new office, the trade group has made several executive promotions and appointments in the lobbying realm. Mike Zaneis, the IAB’s vp of public policy, has been elevated to svp and general counsel. In addition, Patrick Dolan, formerly the IAB’s evp and chief administrative officer, has been named evp and COO; and David Doty, most recently svp for marketing and thought leadership, has been named to the new position of svp and chief marketing officer.

A few weeks ago, the IAB seemed relieved that a Republican takeover of the House of Representatives might mean that major privacy legislation would be put off. IAB president and CEO Randall Rothenberg said at the time: “Rightly or wrongly, a lot of members who went down [on Election Day] became associated not with growth, but with a fervor for the kinds of unnecessary regulations that impede it.”

Yet since then, Republican lawmakers have pledged to take up the privacy charge. And just a few weeks ago the Federal Trade Commission floated the idea of a "Do Not Track" list.

Clearly, the IAB will need to be a vocal presence in Washington for the foreseeable future. “Public policy has taken center stage as one of the most critical issues facing the digital marketing industry,” said Rothenberg.